Football is undoubtedly the number one football game in the United States, with its commercial value and market share far ahead. Not to mention the Super Bowl, which has a viewership of over 100 million. Just talk about the first day of the draft every year, the live program has a viewership of More than the NBA Finals and MLB World Series.
No one can challenge the dominance!
However, compared to the popularity and influence of rugby, the income of players is really shabby and embarrassing. The top superstar players in the NFL may only have an annual salary of 20 million; in the NBA, they are everywhere, and they can only be regarded as average.
Currently, the highest endorsement contract Nike can sponsor for football players is only US$2.5 million per year. Many players, including Peyton Manning, have contracts of this level. This is the top level. In the face of LeBron James' billion-dollar contract, it is simply the difference between a kindergarten child and a top giant.
why?
Why is rugby the most expensive sport in North America, but there is such a huge gap in player income? From a theoretical point of view, this is not scientific at all, and even goes against the rules. NBA and NFL players have repeatedly discussed such differences; but from a market point of view, this is perfectly normal.
The reason is not complicated: there are too many players. This is the primary reason for the gap.
On the basketball court, there are only five people, and the maximum number of players in a team is fifteen; but in the football team, each team has fifty-three players, and there are at least twenty-five starting players alone. There are at least forty rotation players who will definitely play in a game.
In 2010, Chinese-American player Wang Kai passed the draft and joined the Buffalo Bills, becoming the first Chinese-American player in history to join the league; however, Wang Kai's existence has never been able to stir up waves. Why? On the one hand, it's because Wang Kai is an offensive tackle, so attention is generally not high; on the other hand, because Wang Kai is not a starter, he is just a rotation player.
In one game, there are forty or more players on rotation. A player may only play one or two offenses, or may appear occasionally as a special team player. The commentators have not even How can he stir up trouble when he's already off the field when he's familiar with the player's number?
In Wang Kai's rookie season, he only appeared as a rotation player in six games; Lu Ke did the same in the preseason. As a rotation player, he participated in more than a dozen offenses and failed to attract too much attention at all. Many waves.
During the regular season, Lu Ke was able to cause so much controversy. The quarterback was part of the reason, and the starting point was another part of the reason. There are too many rotation players, and the starting lineup is completely different, but even the number of starting players far exceeds that of an entire NBA team.
Because of this, the fifty-three people dividing the commercial space in a football game cannot be compared with the fifteen people in a basketball game.
When a brand tries to use athlete endorsements to connect with consumers, baseball and football have such a large supply of players that it drives down the price of their contracts; basketball players and individual athletes, especially tennis and golf, are always available With higher prices, even football player contracts have more room for exploration.
In addition, the huge price gap between the NFL and NBA sponsorship endorsements is really shocking. Basketball players may earn hundreds of millions, but football players cannot even get tens of millions of contracts. Part of the reason is due to the characteristics of the sneaker consumer market.
Rugby shoes, like football shoes, are both spikes. They are very professional and have a specific purpose, which makes them difficult for the general public to wear in daily life. In contrast, basketball shoes are approachable and people can freely choose basketball shoes as daily shoes. , which determines that the market base is essentially different.
Not only that, the popularity of rugby is also lower than that of football. Many amateur rugby enthusiasts choose football shoes as rugby shoes, which is okay - especially English rugby shoes. There is no problem in using football shoes; but American rugby shoes are also popular. Rugby shoes have longer and deeper studs with different placement.
Simply put, the more professional you are, the narrower your audience will be. Ninety out of a hundred people may be willing to buy basketball shoes, but it is very rare for one out of a hundred people to buy football shoes.
As a result, the amount of sponsorship and endorsement contracts varies greatly.
In fact, Under Armor faces the same problem. They are professional in making football shoes, even more professional than Nike. In the NFL, there are many players who are willing to choose Under Armor; but when it comes to making other shoes besides football shoes, basketball shoes or running shoes, Under Armor But it is far from professional enough, and the task of developing market share is extremely arduous.
In real life, not only sponsorship and endorsements, the salary level of NFL players is also far inferior to that of the NBA. In addition to the huge player base, there is also the issue of salary caps. However, this is another story. As a rookie player, Lu Ke does not need to consider salary issues yet. The fastest will be two years from now.
Therefore, the sponsorship contract of US$250,000 per year is not a sky-high price, and it is a drop in the bucket in the NBA; but for Lu Ke, it is already satisfying.
By the way, as rugby agents, they also suffer "unfair" treatment.
In Major League Baseball, agents can take a 5% commission; the Hockey League and the Basketball League both have a commission of 4%; but in football, the commission is only 3%, the lowest amount.
However, don't forget that the NFL has the most players.
The number of players in the entire NBA league is only about 500, while the NFL has more than 2,000 players. In other words, football agents can win more with less. If top agents represent ten or twenty players, their income will exceed the NBA.
This is what makes Lech-Steinberg unique.
For a long time, Lech only represented one player, and the commission was also 3%. He did not increase the price privately because of the small number of players; but as the most authoritative top agent in the industry, Lech has His own brokerage company and its agents also insist on taking the route of fewer but more refined, so he is still one of the richest agents in the industry.
Looking at Lu Ke with a good attitude in front of him, Laihe couldn't help but jokingly said, "Remember what I said when I signed you?" He took a fancy to Lu Ke's commercial value. "How about it, do you believe it now?"
Lu Ke laughed dumbly and joked, "Only for a contract of US$250,000?" He seemed to be disgusted that such a commercial value was too low.
Lech stopped smiling and deliberately put on a serious posture, "Don't underestimate this beginning. As the only Chinese player in the entire league, or even an Asian player...ah, no, the only one The first Asian player to start——"
As a senior agent, Laihe naturally knew Wang Kai. However, Wang Kai has entered the injured list this season and is not among the Buffalo Bills' 53-man roster, so his influence is naturally weakened.
"Your business value cannot be measured by common sense." In the meeting just now, Sean was actually exploring Lu Ke's connection with Asia and conceiving future business promotion strategies. Those contents were not just idle chatter. More importantly, Laich has enough confidence in his abilities and connections, "Let's wait and see about the future."
Perhaps Lu Ke can become the first person to break the salary constraints of the NFL precisely because of his Chinese identity. Everything is a double-edged sword. People who don't understand may waste everything, but people who know how to do it may create miracles. Just like the first person to eat a crab, it may be a bad thing or a good thing.
However, this is just an idea. All prerequisites are victory, one victory after another!
"Leave the contract matters to me. After the lawyer read it, we sorted out some important details, and then sat down to discuss it. After confirming that it is correct, we signed it." Lech returned to work, "The most important thing is the difference Different equipment choices for occasions, such as equipment on the training ground, clothing at press conferences, and so on, sponsors always pay special attention to these details."
"Isn't it because the alliance also has relevant regulations?" Lu Ke asked doubtfully.
Lech smiled and nodded, "Look, you are gradually getting used to it." For sponsors, every link represents interests, and no one will compromise easily. This has also become a rule that every player must adapt to. "Yes, the league also has relevant regulations, but Under Armor and Nike are both official sponsors of the league, so things are relatively not that complicated."
"Don't worry, leave these matters to me." Laihe simply took over the matter. "In addition, I believe that you know exactly what you are doing; but as an agent, it is my obligation to remind you. You You need to manage your bank account properly, keep yourself out of trouble as much as possible, and train and make sure you stick to it.”
Looking at Laihe with a sincere face, Lu Ke's smile couldn't help but rise slightly, which made Laihe pause for a moment, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong?"
Lu Ke laughed out loud, "No, I just thought...it turns out that having an agent is like this."
All along, Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning have fully supported Lu Ke in pursuing his dream, but on the court and in training, they were unable to help. Lu Ke could only rely on himself; especially after entering college, he was completely Relying on self-awareness and self-discipline, I planned every detail of my life and got to where I am today step by step.
Now, all the trivial matters inside and outside are arranged by the agent, and the training is left to the team's coach, and everything becomes orderly.
"This is my job." Lech shrugged lightly and said calmly, "By the way, I noticed that you still live with your family; it's some distance away from the team's training base. Do you need to move? ?”
"Yeah, I never got around to looking for an apartment. Can you help?"
"Of course, that's my job."
